Just like the day before, I walked to the parking lot and stood near Anna’s car. However, unlike the date before, I took note of the time when I walked out of the school. It was about 3:32. I took a look at the rear of the car and noticed the taillights were shattered out. I looked around to see if anyone was looking in my direction, but I couldn’t see anyone pointing or laughing. Of course, they would be long gone and would wait for the grapevine to give them the satisfaction of how Anna would feel about the damage to her car. How would she react? It was obvious the deed was either done by William or by a member of the Riffle Fan Club.
I saw Anna and Wendy walk through the grass in front of the school and up to the parking lot.
“Someone’s damaged the car.”
“Is that a record here?” Anna asked as the three of us rounded to the back of the car.
“You know who did it, right?”
“Yep.”
“Who?” Wendy inquired as she kicked at the broken plastic and glass on the ground.
“Someone who thinks they are so special,” Anna turned back to the school. “Bless your heart!”
“What will your dad say?”
“He’ll comment on how people are still snots who only think of themselves and what they want.”
“I’m sorry.’
“It’s just a car. The important thing is that we’re all okay, right?”
“Right.”
“We’re going to drive home in it, aren’t we?” Wendy asked as Anna chirped the key to unlock the doors.
“Unless you wanna walk.”

We all got in and I noted the time on the clock. It read 3:41. Anna started car and looked left and right multiple times before backing up. The car had a slight hum, but it was still quieter than any car I had ever been in.
“Susan told me she was forced to go to his house on her first day and she kind of went plum crazy about now knowing what to do.”
“Did he kidnap her and leave her in the forest to die?”
“Wendy!” Anna yelled. “Well, maybe in her head it was like that.”
I looked at Wendy’s face in the rearview mirror. She appeared sad for a moment but then sighed and then smiled as she saw my eyes.
“Mama’s not going to want to make so much again tonight.”
“I’m going to cook,” Anna replied.
“You’re going to kill him tying. Bryce, we may have a frozen pizza you can share with me,”
“I. Can. Cook.”
“Only if you want to,” I replied. “We could always get a hot dog or popcorn at the game.
“Oh, I planned to, but I still want to show you I can do it. And you’re thinking ‘she don’t have to impress me.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to. Also, if we’re in the kitchen together, mama won’t sic Wendy in on us.”
“Wanna bet?”
“What if I paid you to look the other way?”
“Not enough gold in the world would make me not want to watch you attempt to burn the house down and you know how mama feels about fires.”
“I am just ‘bout ready to drop you off on the side of the road and let you walk.”
Wendy stuck her tongue out as Anna accelerated.

We arrived at the house, and I wondered when Anna, or probably Wendy, would mention the damage to the car. The time was 3:53 when Anna switched the car off. We gathered our books and went into the house.
“Hey, mama!” Anna yelled as she walked in.
“Anna brought Bryce back. Again.”
Mrs. Joel walked in from the den and looked at the three of us.
“It’s good. I’m making dinner and then we’re going to the football game.”
“Are you asking me, Anna Renee, or are you telling me?”
“Askin’, but kind of in a reverse way.” Anna replied as she stood between her mom and I.
“You may go to the game. What’s your plan for tonight?”
“What do we we have available?” Anna asked as she walked into a door on the side wall of the kitchen. Mrs. Joel looked at me for a moment and smiled.
“Wendy, take your backpack upstairs and start your chores.”
“Why does Anna get to skip out of her chores? Again?”
“She’ll have enough work to do if she’s making dinner.”
“She just wants to look at Bryce the whole time. Are there new batteries in the smoke detectors?”
“Hey!” Anna shouted.
“It’s true,” Wendy replied.
Anna stepped out of the pantry with a bag of potatoes and two onions. “How good are you with choppin’ onions?”
“I can try,” I said as Anna tossed them to me one after the other. I was so glad I actually caught them.
“What’s your meal plan, Anna?”
“I’m thinking chicken fried steak, cream gravy, some potatoes and onions and green beans. Do we have any green beans?”
“Bottom shelf of the refrigerator.”
Anna worked extremely fast and concentrated on her work so much as I looked around the kitchen and connected dining room. It looked the same as it did the night before, except for a display case I did not recall: a case containing what looked like medals and old, tattered American flag with 48-stars. She did say her grandfather built the house, so it was probably his, left up for posterity.
“Bryce, could you come help me?”
I walked back into the kitchen to see a pan of hot cornbread sitting on a trivet upon the counter.
Anna closed the oven and took off a pair of oven mitts. I walked over and she put her arms around me.
“Don’t it look great. My second time makin’ bread. It’s done in the middle, I know, I-”
She stopped talking as I smiled at her. “What?”
“You.”
“Me?” She asked in mock surprise. “What about me?”
“Well, I-”
“The oil’s going to burn, Anna,” Mrs. Joel stated as she walked into the kitchen. “I swear you need another set of arms.”
“Mama, I got it.”
“If you burn that chicken, you’re never going to set foot in this kitchen ever again.”
In my house, I would have burned the chicken to avoid having to cook ever again. Rosa’s Pizza and Longhorn BBQ would forever be on speed dial as I could burn cereal. I had once set fire to granola while trying to make those chewy granola bars. Ten minutes of the smoke alarm blaring off, and black smoke and all I had to show for it was something that had the consistency of lava from Mount Saint Helens.
“You’d love that, wouldn’t you, ma?”
“I would love it more,” Wendy sounded off from the living room.
“You’re not in this conversation, Wendy!”
“Can 911 find us when Anna starts a fire?”
“That’s enough, Wendy,” Miss Joel turned her head to the hallway and calmly replied.
Anna placed in five pieces of floured chicken. Again, I had no idea on she managed to do that.
Miss Joel stepped out of the kitchen.
“What were you going to stay, Bryce?”
“I’m glad William tripped me. If he hadn’t, then I never would have gotten to meet you.”
“Maybe.”
“That smells great.” I looked away to the counter and saw a bowl that wasn’t there before: one with steaming potatoes and onions.
“Anna?”
We both turned to see Mr. Joel walking in.
“Nice to see you again, Bryce”
“Thank you, sir.”
“What your plans for tonight?” Mr. Joel stopped in front of the bowl of potatoes and then looked into a small bowl that was next to it. Something was steaming inside of it.
“Football game, Pa,” Anna answered over the ever-growing popping of oil.
“Are you playing in the game, Bryce?”
“No sir, we’re just going to watch.”
“It will be cold tonight. Best to bring the large blanket.”
“Pa!”
“Just callin it as I see it.”